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The Coffee Grind

There are those of us who should not be allowed in public without having a cup of coffee first. That said, java is also an expensive habit. Luckily, you can have your cup and drink it too by cutting certain corners.

Look Before You Leap

Abstinence is the best policy with respect to saving money; but for most of us, when it comes to coffee, that's neither possible nor desirable. So before you take any drastic measures, simply track what you spend. Don't alter your buying habits; just spend a week chronicling your expenses. Though it may feel cumbersome at first, it can be illuminating to learn how, when, why and where you spend money.

You don't have to save all of your receipts, as there are so many apps to help you track your spending right on your phone as you make your purchase. One favorite is the Latte Factor, which helps you add up your total daily expenses and average spending over time. The app's calculator can generate your daily, weekly, and monthly average. Once you measure your averages, you can click on the Latte Factor's "see savings" button to see what you could be earning, albeit approximately, in one, five or ten years time if you invested that money instead of drinking it. It may help you look before you leap, or at least before you lap up another latte.

Test Your Taste

Expensive doesn't necessarily mean you're getting a better bean, or a tastier one. Starbucks (SBUX) is getting more expensive -- the company recently announced a price hike -- but New York Magazine food critic Adam Platt found that patronizing the Seattle-based chain might not be worth it: In a blind taste test, Platt discovered that Starbucks ranked last in termed of taste -- and it's 31 cents more per cup than Dunkin Donuts. Opting for Dunkin Donuts (DNKN) over Starbucks could save you almost $230 a year. But it's always possible to be penny wise and pound foolish. There are also hidden costs: For instance, investing in fair trade coffee will save you and the planet more money in the long run. Common sense can also result in saving cents.

BYOM

Bring your own mug. You'll be kinder to the environment and waste fewer plastic, paper, or -- gasp! -- styrofoam cups. It might also prevent you from impulse buys at overpriced cafes. The same can be said for owning the other tools of the trade, like a coffee maker, to avoid the temptation to always go out.

If you're out and craving coffee, bringing your mug may also result in saving some money. Many mom-and-pop coffee shops, as well as chains like Starbucks, will deduct anywhere from a dollar to ten cents for sparing them an extra cup. If you did that 360 days out of the year, you would save -- you guessed it -- $36.

Customer Care

Always ask if your favorite mom-and-pop coffee shop offers a punch card for regular customers, or free refills or other deals. If you purchase whole bean or ground Starbucks coffee to brew at home, you can bring in your empty bag and receive a free small cup of joe. Some places offer rewards on your birthday. And it's not just major chains like Cosi that reward returning customers. Small, local coffee stores like Joyce Bakeshop in Brooklyn thank patrons for their routine business with a free coffee after a certain number of purchases. Other coffee shops, like The Mustard Seed Cafe in Los Angeles, offer free refills! When it comes to coffee, customer loyalty incentives abound.

Coffee isn't the worst impulse buy, nor should it break the bank. Like all things that taste or feel good, you'll want to use moderation. It's easier to think straight after one or two cups of coffee, but the inverse can be true if you've had three or four.

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Gil Carlson

Coffee is now good for your health, aren't you glad you didn't listen to those experts before when they were saying how bad it was for you? Find out more:http://www.coffeebeanscoffeemachines.com/Coffee-and-Your-Health-is-Coffee-Drinking-Healthy.html

I am all about saving money but I am also really into my coffee. So I'm going to say this... There is a HUGE difference between regular coffee and unfrothed milk added in to its better counterpart of freshly ground espresso and expertly frothed milk. Any true coffee connoisseur would agree here. For that reason, I bought a relatively expensive espresso machine with a built in grinder and frother and I make my own at home. That, in my opinion is the best way to save money. Learn how to do it right, and then make your own.

I find that Starbucks often gets a bad rap when it comes to pricing. They're drip coffee is very reasonably priced and they offer free refills, something that most coffee chains will not do! They give you a free drink or food item for every 12 transactions, so if you buy a coffee and a muffin every day, put them on separate bills and you'll earn free stuff twice as fast. Combining that with the discount from bringing your own mug, Starbucks is actually cheaper then Dunken Donuts or Tim Hortons.

If you stop in at 7/11 & get a coffee of your choice then add creamer.They have a large choice from hazelnut to chocolate.Then get ice from the pop machine.Viola!A cheap but,good iced coffee!A great cup of iced coffee that would have cost $5 at Starbucks,less than $2 !!!

I don't drink any alcoholic beverages. I go to very few season games, and no post-season games (unless someone gives me a ticket). I don't have an expensive restaurant habit. I have traditional clothing tastes, so I am not buying clothes all the time. I make most of my coffee at home, but I by the best, Peet's. When I see what other people pay for their wine habit, I feel quite liberated to drink Peet's. Fortunately, I have four Peet's within a three mile radius

Do the smart thing. Brew your coffee at home for 10 cents a cup. I use Yuban Dark Roast. It's on sale for 6.99 per 29 oz all the time. It's never more than 9.00 at Target for this size, and it lasts 3 weeks if you make 6 cups every morning. At this price coffee is dirt cheap. Avoid Starbucks, etc and you'll save quite a bit.

Your Iced coffee trick won't work. Iced coffee is brewed at double strength so that the ice doesn't dilute the flavor, and some places cold press it to limit the bitterness. If you ice regular strength brewed coffee, you will get a weak, bitter, cup of cold nastiness.

I concur with Bittersweet78. The best iced coffees are always cold brewed. Sweeter, lighter cousins to their hot-cup counterpart.

As a former coffee house junkie, I have to say that buying a french press($20 bodum.com) and a cheap coffee grinder($10 used) has saved us hundreds a month. The coffee is loads better than Starbucks or Dunkin' Donuts, and while adding 2 minutes to our in-home morning routine, saves us 5 minutes of line-waiting. We treat ourselves to Saturday mornings at the cafe and coffee feels special again.

Don't let Florida Gov Scott get whiff of this - he'll ban the killer substance and cite percentages and numbers from his hat on the amount of death and carnage this drug is wreaking havoc on our society, contributing to crime, etc, etc, etc ad naseum.

He'll turn rustling up coffee addicts as the No#1 priority to save lifes, and start locking up everybody, just as his current witch hunt for pain killers.

news flash Scott - the only people you are hurting are the innocent people who use doctors, insurance, and the same pharmacy for their meds.

You already have the market cornered on Sinus Headache meds - Tylenol Sinus. You have the pain pill mill operation market garden in full operation - next should be the banzai attack on all caffeine addicts in the state.

You and that Pam Bondi are ruining the lives of innocent patients in REAL pain because of your little witch hunt has caused doctors and pharmacists alike to run like puckered up cats from a bucket of water. Sure - you only target those evil criminals - but are also so stupid you cannot realize the damage you have created in the legit medical community.

Any doctor worth their salt is not going to even bother writing a script for pain meds for fear of losing their medical license and their freedom. Even is they are brace enough to have many MRI and CAT scans to support the patient's cause - they still run the chance of running afoul of your group of crazy nazis on steroids for "over-prescribing". Tell me Scott, what is the exact amount of not over prescribing, and the number that counts as over prescribing - what is that number.

Go over the alcoholics next. They are killers, and kill themselves - and cost society millions of dollars each year - they need saving. Get to work....forget about the tax money....you don't care about the money RIGHT? You noted you want to save lives - so get all smoke and drink out of this state - now.

Get to work - you have plenty of crusading to do. Get Bondi to help you.